Taizhou and Gaoyou are very busy all winter. Many people feel that they are two worlds outside. Many poor people outside are not full of food, clothed, and living a savage life. In winter, they can only rely on tree bark and underground. Many people simply cannot survive the next spring.

After many people outside knew that Taizhou and Gaoyou could fill their stomachs, they embarked on a wandering journey, relying on their legs and feet to travel long distances. They don’t even know the specific conditions of Taizhou and Gaoyou, but they just feel that they are alive. It's just hope.

"Hey, eat." The yellow-faced and thin woman handed the bark to her short and thin son. She wanted to smile at her child, but she didn't even have the strength to laugh. She came out with her fellow villagers, looking for someone who could live and live. They wandered all the way in the place where she was a widow. The child was a posthumous child. Her parents-in-law and her mother-in-law left within a month after they left their hometown. Life.

The woman has no choice but to stay with the bachelor in the village to keep herself and her son.

But she felt that she couldn't stand it anymore. She might die here, and then go to see her husband and in-laws who died early, but what about the children?

She stroked the head of her son who was eating bark with her skinny hands, thinking in her heart that she could not leave her son alone in this world. When she was going to leave, she had to send him away first, and the whole family could be under the head. reunion.

The bachelor from the same town came to her. Their childhood sweethearts grew up, but the bachelor was too poor to marry a wife. After he fled, he knew what a woman was like. He was very good to the widow, otherwise he would not want to eat it all by himself. If you are not full, you must take care of their mother and child.

"It will be here soon," the bachelor said weakly.

The widow nodded. They had been comforting themselves from a few months ago that they would be there soon.

But this "soon" is too far away, as if it will never reach the destination.

The widow stretched out her hand, and the bachelor held her hand. The two sat quietly, watching the boy hungry eating the bark, as if it was some delicacy.

The bachelor said: "Soon."

The widow forced a smile.

The sun rose, and they were going on their way again. The boy took his mother's hand. They walked in the snow, one step deep and one shallow step. They were neither frozen to death nor starved to death. The hundreds of people who came out together, now There are only a dozen people left.

After walking for a while, the boy couldn't walk anymore. His nose was red, and if it freezes down, it will be purple, and then he will face death.

The bachelor carried the boy on his back and covered his back with animal fur to ensure that the boy had a better chance of survival.

No one spoke, they were silent and walked quietly.

Silence can make people feel depressed and gradually despair.

But they have no strength to speak.

When they stopped to eat snow, someone suddenly shouted: "The city wall! I see the city wall! God! I see the city wall! Here we are!"

The widow was stunned. She stood motionless, like an ice sculpture in the snow. She panicked to hug the son who was carrying the bachelor behind her back. She lifted the thin layer of fur, she reached out to touch her son’s face, To feel the son's breath.

Still alive.

The widow opened her mouth, and she could only make a cry like gasping. She squatted down holding her son and kept inhaling. She was almost out of breath. The bachelor hugged the two of them. Running wildly, using his last strength to run towards the city wall.

The idea of ​​living has never been as clear as it is now.

The bachelor picked up the boy again, and the widow supported each other towards the wall.

But before they got under the city wall, they were startled by the scene in front of them. Outside the city wall, there was a small outer city. There were many people walking on the street. They were wearing thick clothes because of the cold. The cheeks were reddened, but they were all smiling, and many people were selling things at stalls.

There are also shops selling cooked food, they can smell the noodles, and some are selling noodles.

Some people are selling yellow noodle buns.

It is the smell of food, not bark, not grass roots, not meatless bugs, but real food that can fill the stomach and make people feel happy.

There was no snow on the ground in the outer city. They saw people shoveling snow onto wooden carts and then pulling it aside to boil it into hot water. Many people went to fetch water.

The bachelor and the widow are standing in the middle of the same town. They are afraid that these people will not accept them and drive them away, but even if they are afraid, they will not leave.

"Ms. Zhou! Some people have come here!" a hawker shouted.

The steward sitting on the side of the road stood up, took his scarf around his neck, rubbed his hands and walked out of the stall.

The refugees are also ordinary people. They are afraid of officials. When they hear the word steward, everyone's face looks like an enemy.

Zhou Guan counted the number of people in advance, and then used the notebook to write down the date and then the number of people, and then said to the person next to him: "Give them hot water, bring them to the house, and buy some steamed buns."

The person next to him took the order, and Zhou Guanshi said to the refugees: "Come with me."

The refugees had no other choice. They dared not speak, and followed Guan Zhou in a restrained manner.

Guanshi Zhou took them to a small hut, where a carbon fire was burning. Unlike the cold outside, the inside was warm like spring. The frozen bodies of the refugees were stretched out, and their numb skin seemed to finally wake up.

Guan Shi pointed to the bench in the house and said, "Sit down."

These talents sit down with instructions one by one.

Guan Shi: "Report your names one by one, as well as where you came from, where you passed along the way, where is safer, and where is more dangerous, the more detailed the better."

The refugees reported their names one after another, and Zhou Guan wrote them down in a notebook, and then began to remember their hometown and places they passed by.

At the time of Zhou Guanshiji, the people who were sent to buy steamed buns returned and distributed steamed buns and hot water to the refugees.

The refugees gobbled up the buns. They couldn't say a word, and ate hard, until they ate up the three buns that one person had allocated and drank a bowl of hot water before raising their heads again.

The buns are warm, well made, soft and suitable for swallowing, they don't even chew.

Guan Shi once again began to measure their heights, look at their teeth and record their more obvious characteristics, and then one person issued a small wooden sign: "You must collect this. You will need this for buying a house and work in the future. If it wears out, come and replace it. ."

He explained in detail where he was going to sign up for work. After signing up for work, he would be allocated a house, but it wasn't that he didn't charge money, and he would have to deduct them from their wages in the future.

Guan Shi asked them, "Are there any questions?"

Everyone was taken away in a daze. The manager said, they first sign up, and then they can be assigned to the house. They can rest for three days before going to work. They will be provided with food and hot water for the three days. After starting work, one month's salary is advanced in advance for daily life.

When registering, the bachelor said that the widow was his wife and the boy was his son.

After a long time together, the boy had already called him father.

They were divided into a small room by three points. A curtain separated the room from the main room, which was enough for a family of three.

But the single person can only crowd the dormitory with others.

After seven days in Gaoyou, people like them have been integrated here. The official will never ask them to respect them, and he will not come to them when he is fine. The neighbors are very friendly and no one looks down on them.

The widow now washes her clothes with her neighbors every day. In a large warm house, it’s full of hot water that won’t freeze hands, feet, or frostbite. The children are kept in the nursery where there are special staff to look after the children. They will also teach the children some simple numbers, so they are very relieved.

"Use this to wash." The person next to me said to the widow, "This is clean."

She asked the widow to pick up the ashes and wash the clothes very clean after mixing with water.

The widow smiled gratefully at the other party.

When resting, the women would take out needles and threads to mend their own clothes.

The widow asked softly: "How long have you all been here?"

The women babbled their answers.

"The outer city is full of outsiders. I have been here for half a year. I used to be in the inner city. Later, when the South Bodhisattva said that the outer city wanted people, my family and I came out."

"me too!"

The widow asked strangely: "Isn't the inner city better?"

The women laughed: "The inner city is crowded!"

The widow said again: "But there are walls in the inner city..."

There is no wall in the outer city, what if there is danger?

The women said: "There are people patrolling every night, and the barracks are also outside. If something happens, the soldiers will be able to come out immediately and be safe!"

The widow was finally relieved.

The women began to ask how she escaped to Gaoyou.

The widow said: "In my hometown, the village head was killed by the gangsters. We were afraid that the court would send someone to flee. There is no more food in the house. If we stay here, we still have to die."

The women sighed for a while.

Not a last resort, who wants to go far away from home and travel a long distance to a strange place to seek life again?

The women began to comfort her.

"It's good to be here. The adults above never trouble us, nor ask us to be respectful."

"As long as we work hard, we can find a job, and we women can have private property too! Be diligent and starve!"

"Yes, the treatment of our laundry bureau is very good, and we can even get meat during the holidays."

"I can buy what I want."

"We don't charge money for sending children to nurseries."

After the comfort, the women taught her:

"The South Bodhisattva is a living god, and you can't do anything to sorry the South Bodhisattva."

"Otherwise, God will punish you."

The widow worked in the laundry bureau for seven days, but was brainwashed for seven days and became a faithful believer.

The same goes for bachelors, even children.

The family of three even saved money to buy a deity statue, which is the South Bodhisattva.

The carvings are not delicate, but for them, this is the best idol they have ever seen.

Lin Yuan is not only their ruler, but also their spiritual leader.

Every refugee who goes to Gaoyou will experience this baptism.

In modern terms, this is the cult of personality.

Except for Lin Yuan, they did not identify with any leader.

What Lin Yuan said was the truth and the oracle.

Knowing this, Lin Yuan felt very complicated. He thought that this phenomenon and people's enthusiasm would gradually diminish over time, but now it seems that there is really no sign of diminishing, but it is becoming more and more prosperous.

Song Shizhao thought this was a good sign.

"Hey, next year, the time will come." Song Shizhao is very excited. He has become more confident recently. He believes that with this momentum, it is only a matter of time to conquer the world. Although the Red Turban Army is developing rapidly, it is now a matter of scale and popularity. It's not as good as them.

Look at the people who rushed to Gaoyou almost across most of the territory. Doesn't this represent the hearts of the people?

Lin Yuanchong Song Shizhao said: "Liu Ji, Song Lian and Luo Guanzhong, have these three responded?"

Song Shizhao quickly said: "Song Lian and Luo Guanzhong have sent a letter and are on their way to Liu Ji..."

Lin Yuan sighed, "It seems that it is not the time yet."

Liu Ji's heart is higher than Song Lian and Luo Guanzhong, and Lin Yuan also understands.

Song Shizhao whispered: "Or should I send someone to tie him over?"

Lin Yuan smiled: "Do you think it's so easy to tie up? Besides, forced or true, which is more useful, you know in your heart.

Song Shizhao sighed.

"How is the munitions preparation?" Lin Yuan recruited Yang Zian, and Yang Zian had been accustomed to the munitions reserve during this time.

Including explosives, siege engines, catapults, swords and swords, and armor.

They still couldn't replace all the armors with iron ones, but Lin Yuan asked someone to make a batch of helmets. If the opponent's weapon is relatively blunt, the attack on the body may not be fatal, but the attack on the head may be impossible.

Helmets can save some lives.

Yang Zian sat aside. He was very tired. He didn't sleep well for several days. He could only drink a sip of strong tea to keep his spirits awake. He said to Lin Yuan, "Enough. People re-polished, not to mention faultfinding, but also sharp enough. Explosives are rushing to work these days, and women have not closed their eyes for several days."

Lin Yuan nodded: "It's been a hard time during this period."

Yang Zian shook his head: "Without your hard work, look at your eyes."

Lin Yuan touched the bags under his eyes, and he has recently come out.

Sometimes Lin Yuan felt that the emperor in ancient times was really pitiful. During the day, he was as busy as a dog, and at night he had to look for the concubine, prostituted by the courtiers, and went back to sleep by the concubine. Maybe they were quite happy themselves.

Sometimes it's happier to be the unconscious gentleman than to be the Mingjun.

Jun Jun can enjoy happiness.

Mingjun wants to bring happiness to others.

Lin Yuan leaned on the chair, but did not dare to close his eyes, for fear that he would want to sleep as soon as he closed his eyes.

"It will be fine if I have been busy for this time. Next year, I will work hard." Lin Yuan smiled at Yang Zi'an.

Yang Zian exhaled a long breath.

"More than four hundred refugees have arrived in the outer city," Song Shizhao said.

Lin Yuan nodded: "How many prisoners have been recently?"

There are still some criminals, and they are all in Laurie now.

Song Shizhao: "More than a thousand people."

Lin Yuan: "All pulled out to build the city wall."

Song Shizhao nodded: "There are a few people."

Lin Yuan: "You can also recruit people. The pay for building a city wall is higher. Someone will go."

The city wall must have, otherwise the outer city will become a steamed bun.

——

Compared with Gaoyou, Taizhou, the winter in Changshu is not so easy. Rich people can burn charcoal and have meat in meals, but ordinary people can only make ends meet no matter how much work they do. The fourth child is dressed in silk and silk. , Pretending to be a businessman, knocked on the door of Zhizhou with food. The prefect’s name was Sukhbaru. He was a Mongolian. After seeing the food brought by Mr. An, he quickly asked his servant to bring Mr. An to him. .

Fourth Anniversary pretended that he was a businessman from Hangzhou. In addition to food, he also brought fine gold, silver and jade.

He also had a Mei Ji by his side, and this Mei Ji was Tian Xiang, but now Tian Xiang and An Old Four are partners, and the two do not have the same physical relationship as before.

Tian Xiang is in charge of dealing with the female relatives, arguing from them, but because it is Miki, all she can reach is the concubine, not the mistress.

But compared to the mistress, the concubines knew more.

Because the masters will not bring their wives to some occasions, and the concubines will not have so many worries.

And most of the concubines have no education. They don't know what they can say and what they can't. If Tianxiang talks a little bit, they reveal everything they know.

On the contrary, on the fourth side, the masters are not easy to pry, and there is not much useful information under the side knocks.

The two of them were in the room in the middle of the night to write the news.

He also has a book in his hand. The different words in this book correspond to special symbols. He needs to write letters with symbols, so as to ensure that even if the letter is intercepted, nothing will be leaked.

If you find it is wrong, just burn the book in your hand.

Tian Xiang told the fourth child of the news he had heard all day long. After the fourth one wrote the letter, he handed it to his entourage. Then he said to Tian Xiang, "What did you say when Nan Bodhisattva sent you?"

Tian Xiang drank tea: "South Bodhisattva told me to look at you well, lest you do anything bad."

Old Si Qian laughed twice.

He asked again: "Whatever the result, one night husband and wife Bai Rien, can you speak a little more politely to me?"

Tian Xiang pouted: "What are you polite?"

The fourth Anniversary whispered: "Otherwise, you will be my concubine?"

Tian Xiang's eyes widened: "You are beautiful, I think you are a toad sitting on a kite, I don't know how many catties you are!"

The fourth Anniversary said quickly: "It's just a joke, you don't want to be serious."

Tian Xiang "hum": "Nan Bodhisattva asked you to inquire, have you inquired?"

Old Four sighed, with a sad look on his face: "Those people's mouths are too tight."

Tian Xiang: "Useless man."

Tianxiang's eyes rolled: "Next time you will take me with you."

The four wonders of the elderly said: "Why do you take you?"

Tian Xiang: "Man, you can pry your mouth open on the bed."

"Auntie, don't mess with me." Old Fourth Anun reluctantly said, "If this is known by the Nan Bodhisattva, I have to peel off my skin."

Besides, if the incense sticks out, wouldn't he be compared to the mud?

He is worse than a woman?

Unable to speak to the big man, An Old Four could only focus on the little official below.

Unlike the wealthy big people, the small officials don’t have much monthly salary. They can only rely on the people to search for money to maintain their dignity and livelihood. The people are now so poor that they can’t search for it. How much, if there are too many people dead, they still have to be responsible, so it's easy for the fourth brother to hit them with money.

But they don't know much, at least some confidential information cannot be asked.

But they know the positions of the weapons depot and granary very well, but the distribution of forces is not clear.

Apart from this, the biggest gain is that they have got on the line with Changshu's colleagues.

Unlike Zhizhou, this Tongzhi is a Han Chinese named Jiang Zheng, twenty-five and sixty-six. He is a rare young man who can sit in this seat. The young man is not so vigilant. He knows the little one under him. After receiving the benefits of the fourth child, the official asked people to call the fourth child in front of him.

The fourth Anniversary may still have a little difficulty dealing with Sukhbaru, but dealing with such a fellow who writes his desire for profit on his face is much simpler. He took a set of pure gold tea sets and another Set of jewelry made of fake jade to visit.

Jiang Zheng couldn't look away when he saw the pure gold tea set.

Tongzhi is only from the sixth grade, and Changshu is Zhongzhou, so the Zhizhou in Changshu is the fifth grade. The administrative division of the Yuan Dynasty and the rank of local officials are divided according to Shangzhou, Zhongzhou, and Xiazhou.

Now Changshu, Zhizhou Sukhbaru is living a good life that ordinary people can't even think of. Jiang Zheng, who is with him, naturally sees it, greed and extravagant thoughts are normal.

"Brother An is really amazing." Jiang Zheng gave the set of jade jewelry An Old Four gave him to Mother Jiang, and accepted the set of gold tea sets. After he received the gift, he never used tea again. Tea set.

The fourth old man flattered: "Everyone says that a hero is a young man. I think Jiang Tongzhi is a juvenile juvenile."

Jiang Zheng smiled and said: "If I had known that I had such a congenial relationship with Brother An, I would have invited you here in the morning."

The two chatted for a while, and finally Jiang Zhengxian couldn't help it, and asked: "Brother An is so generous, I don't know what kind of business he is doing."

The fourth old man’s eyes lit up: "What? Jiang Tongzhi is also interested? My business is simple. If Tongzhi can go with me in Changshu any more convenient, we..."

Jiang Zheng didn't let it go easily, but just asked, "Master Zhizhou didn't mention it to you?"

Fourth Anniversary: ​​"Master Zhizhou is so busy, how can I be worthy of my small business."

Sukhbaru is smarter than Jiang Zheng. He didn't take the bait from this. Besides, as long as the old man comes to do business, he will inevitably be filial to him. Why bother to yourself?

Jiang Zheng is different from Sukhbaru. He is not as powerful as Sukhbaru. He wants more money. Of course, he can't directly ask the fourth child to show respect.

Even if you want it, can you get more than Sukhbaru?

The fourth Anniversary said: "I'm doing the business of nobles. There are always some nobles who have a hard time now. They become sellers. When I receive a low price, I turn around..."

Jiang Zheng smiled: "Sell at a high price, but those people don't know that they are selling at a low price?"

An old four chong Jiang Zheng blinked: "I don't know, An Mou has some face outside, they have to sell if they don't."

Jiang Zheng was finally moved: "Brother An can tell me carefully so that I can also learn more."

The corners of the old man's mouth were smiling.

The fish was hooked.